American man held on suspicion of putting baby son in freezer

Tuesday 08th September, 07:20 AM JST

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igotchu at 07:00 AM JST - 11th September

I hear there is a young female lawyer name Wada-sensei (03-3234-9130), they say she's tough, knows the law, and not afraid to fight with the police and the PA. She got a guy out of jail a few weeks ago without the PA pressing any charges. The guys ex-wife snatched his kids and he panicked and sent her a threatening note by fax. She had him arrested, but the Wada-sensei got him out w/o the PA filing any charges. This isn't the only good work I hear she's done on behalf of gaijin.
societymike at 08:00 AM JST - 11th September

Cicad, sorry, forgot to mention i read on another site that he was retired", was from an english publication in the US.
chotto at 08:48 AM JST - 11th September

Could be simply a case of there being a typo with the dimensions...
womanforwomen at 09:19 AM JST - 11th September

Klein2 it is very wicked when one is isolated from friends and family and no help. Especially in a situation, when there are language problems and others such as having to live with a teenager and a little child, and no job. This could drive a person nuts to do crazy things. But the freezer story has to be proven.And that is where the lady's story is quite funny to me. And we don't have to lie but it is not easy when you have to live under the same roof with the son of another man and that too a teenager. So that is why there is more to this story.

BUT you must admit that there had been many foreigners involved in violent cases. I personally know of a Canadian retired military guy and a Jamaican divorcee of a military womn. They both were teacing English ! Facts are stubborn. Many end up here and enjoy the freedom to some extent. They pay a price for this freedom, but then suddenly something goes wrong, and they act in all kinds of wierd ways.

But touching the way you are trying to let this guy "lean on your shoulder".
Klein2 at 10:07 AM JST - 11th September

Yeah. Womanforwomen. I am sure it is all pretty complicated. Sometimes I think I have seen it all. I have friends who are public defenders, and they know that people... many people... are seriously scumbags. But everybody has a story, and the whole justice process only works if everyone gets to say it their way.

Life as a gaijin father in Japan can be stressful and lonely. Living in the cuckoo's nest with someone else's child can only make it worse. I seriously believe that alcohol is a scourge on humanity. I do not know what it is like to be unemployed, and I think I never will, but it must be pretty dark. In Japan, it pretty well cuts you off from all of your friends, from what I understand. I also know from long experience that Japan attracts weird foreigners, for what that is worth. I acknowledge that it is certainly possible that the man abused the child.

I also acknowledge that the mother, if her story is true, must be scared out of her wits that this man is so out of control. I am certainly not always going to take the man's side, or the foreigner's side. I lived with an abusive step-father actually, who... now that I think about it... is probably pretty similar to this guy. A real live stressed out creep. Maybe... in this story, I am the 13 year old, or even the toddler.

That is why I would rather be either lawyer in this case than the judge. If I were a judge, I would want to make sure that procedures are properly established. Is the testimony accurate? Is the doctor qualified? Is the man's testimony biased by coercion? Are the family members reliable witnesses?

What the state has to prove is that it happened as the woman and doctor said it did. All the man has to do is show that it is doubtful. Those are the rules. I do not believe that foreigners should get SPECIAL treatment, but Japanese society needs to make special efforts to make sure that it deals with them correctly. Law is a process, not vengeance. So I am not saying that we need to deal with him in respect of his human rights, not for his sake, but for our sake.

Oh well. That is enough therapy for one day.
womanforwomen at 01:58 PM JST - 11th September

Klein2, Do you see the reason why I get angry with adults? Sometimes I am even biased and blame it all on the parents, and take the side of the defenseless child. There are many such one year olds and 13 year olds. But I strongly believe that the parents should go to any extent to protect the children. In your case, you seem to have dealt with it very well, but there are others who are not able to. Sometimes, their life becomes meaningless because of the adults who are supposed to protect them. Protect them atleast till their 18. Look at what has happened to the 20 year old Filipino boy who was sentenced for 6 years of imprisonment? What is the point in that mother saying in Tagalog or Japanese I want to hold him? What was she doing when he was repeating the offenses? Yes, a medal for all parents who safeguard their children till their adulthood. I hope that this one year old and the 13 year old do not suffer because of the decisions made these 'not so alright' adults.
dracpoo2 at 03:15 PM JST - 11th September

Poor child, probably the victim of a gaijin stressed out from a sex-less marriage. Many go into these unions blindly unaware of cultural differences.
dolphingirl at 08:47 PM JST - 11th September

Something seems a bit fishy here: frostbite on the head & legs and a 'bruised' forehead...I'm a Canadian and I know the first places to get frostbite are the ears, nose, fingers and toes. And it doesn't look like a bruise unless it's very severe. Hopefully, the truth is uncovered and the baby is kept away from the abusive person.
Klein2 at 05:28 AM JST - 12th September

w4w Well, we agree on all that.

The state is powerful. The state has unlimited resources. The state can certainly protect small children and should. The state (in Japan) also has unlimited authority, and can actually kill citizens legally. The state is awesome.

Whether or not the state can be trusted to use those powers justly is not an issue. It can't be trusted to do so. The people must be vigilant to make sure that those powers ARE ACTUALLY used justly. To do that, various rules have to be followed and the accused must be given the benefit of the doubt. The stakes are too high.

I believe that if he is guilty, he will be punished. On the other hand, if he is innocent, he has already been harmed and might be harmed more. That is just plain wrong. There is no accusation so heinous that an innocent man should be jailed for three weeks before he can be represented by a lawyer.

That is why the witch hunt mentality shown on this forum is ultimately more frightening than the abuse of the child. It is uncivilized and authorizes the state to use its power to crush weak people.
igotchu at 08:22 AM JST - 12th September

Klein2 you have eloquently explained the very same argument I have tried to explain for years. The state is abusing its authority and needs to be held accountable. Although some may not like the phrase, "we the people" but it is universal in meaning that all people within a states borders should hold the state accountable for abusing its authority. There is no witch hunt here, its just we are rebelling against the state's injustice. Japan is lucky this debate is held in a civilized manner, but if the state continues to trample on the rights of foreigners, civil obedience will give way to civil unrest. If this guy turns out to be innocent, and the accusations are false, someone besides the mother should be punished. The central government has to crack down on these local officials. They are entrusted to uphold the legitimacy of the states laws, not sow the seeds of anarchy by falsely prosecuting foreigners. On the other hand, if this guy is guilty he will get what he deserves.
adaydream at 01:12 AM JST - 13th September

This could easily have become a case of murder if the mother had not called for help. Too bad. < :-)
helloklitty at 10:29 PM JST - 14th September

Even if he's found not guilty, he's out on the street with nowhere to live. Who would "sponsor" such a tenant?
AK619 at 11:25 PM JST - 14th September

Man, this guy is in hell.....he should of just confessed and got sentenced quickly. After a denial he'll be in a rat sized jail for maybe two years until his trial. He'll be laying on the floor with five other Japanese inmates, usually Yakuza with tattoo all over there body. Every morning he gets up and rolls up his futon and take it to the wall cabnate, he then scrubs the floor, and walls with water, and cleans the toilet with the other inmates in his jail cell. After he finishes cleaning, he brushes his teeth and splashes water in his face, from a long sink with other inmates, and then he goes back into the cell and eats breakfast which consist of bread, syrup, butter, and tea. After Breakfast, he's allowed to read Japanese magazines and write letters. Lunch time, he gets a bento box consisting of more rice and tea. He can then workout inside the cell by doing jumping jacks or short walks. Dinner time, he gets another bento box containing rice, water and tea. After dinner, if its his shower day he's allowed one shower, and can buy soap, tooth paste, and a towel. There's no TV or amusment. After the shower, he goes to the wall cabnate and pulls out his futon and lays it out on the floor in his cell with the other five inmates. About five Police call his number outside the cell doing roll call, and he says Hai! The lights go out after an hour. He dose the same routine everyday, and sometimes gets a smoking break in the morning. Best to just stay out of trouble in Japan if possible.
igotchu at 01:20 AM JST - 15th September

AK619 you sound like the police and the prosecutor, threatening the accused into a confession. Let the evidence speak and you will see they have no case, someone is abusing the law.
nigelboy at 02:47 AM JST - 15th September

It's amazing the people try to pull an alternative ala CSI drama scenario in this particular case.

The poor kid got a frost bite in which he had to stay in the hospital for 4 days and took two weeks to heal.